Board-Certified Specialists

Board-certified specialists are doctors who have advanced education, clinical training, and certification in a specific field. A subspecialist is a doctor who is trained or certified as a specialist and then receives additional training in a specific area (subspecialty).

A doctor becomes board-certified by completing training in a specialty area and passing an examination. To be board-certified, the doctor must complete the education required to get an MD (medical doctor) or DO (doctor of osteopathy) degree, complete 3 to 7 years of training in a residency program in the specialty field, and pass a written test given by the specialty board. Many specialty boards also require doctors to pass an oral test.

Specialty boards certify that doctors have met certain standards. Certification is voluntary; not all specialists are certified. There are 24 specialty boards currently recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties and the American Medical Association. Most specialties require recertification every 5 to 10 years.

By

Healthwise Staff

Primary Medical Reviewer

Anne C. Poinier, MD - Internal Medicine

Specialist Medical Reviewer

E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine

Last Revised

August 17, 2012

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